1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with an improved saddle tree assembly that is progressively loaded at several points to flexibly conform with the body contours of a horse, and damps vibrations traveling between the horse and rider. More particularly, it is concerned with such a tree assembly including a pair of resilient skirts adapted to conformably overlie a horse's back, a spanning element coupled with each of the skirts, a seat member positioned above the skirts and slidably engaging the spanning element, and means for coupling the seat member to the skirts in a manner allowing pivotal motions at the coupling. The seat member has a resiliently deformable seat intermediate the pommel and cantle portions, and the seat member provides means for damping vibrations traveling between the horse and rider.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A major problem in saddling is that rigid saddle tree constructions tend to concentrate weight over the wither shoulder area of the horse. Bruising of the horse's back is likely to result whenever contact points between the back and saddle are loaded with a pressure greater than 11/4 pounds per square inch. Excessive weight concentration can further lead to the development of sores, pinching of the withers, and other painful conditions that can induce disastrous results in the physiology and riding mechanics of the horse.
Another problem in the equestrian arts is the development of soreness due to the constant pounding that results from stepping movements on the horse's part. These pounding forces contribute to injuries in both the rider and the horse.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,734 represents a significant breakthrough in the art, in that it provides a flexible saddle which distributes the combined weight of saddle and rider over a large surface area on a horse's back, thereby minimizing injuries to the horse. This weight distribution is accomplished through the deformation of flexible skirts that conform to a horse's back and contact the same over a large surface area. Nevertheless, the '734 patent provides for a saddle having two spanning elements that are affixed to flexible skirts at four points (two opposed forward and two opposed rearward points). This four-point connection rigidifies the underlying skirts intermediate the respective points of connection. Additionally, the respective skirts have a forwardly extending portion that is formed as a single rounded piece, and this construction rigidifies the tree in the crucial wither-shoulder region of the horse. This rigidity makes the skirts less able to conform to the body contours of the horse and less able to reduce the magnitude of pounding forces transmitted from the horse to the rider.